Education and armed conflict: the Kashmir insurgency in the nineties

Abstract

The experience of the Kashmir insurgency is used, to assess the
impact of this armed conflict on educational outcomes of girls and boys who were of
school age during the 90's. Girls and boys who went to primary and secondary schools in urban
areas of Kashmir during 1990 and 1996 are affected the most by the insurgency. I compare
their outcomes to women and men who finished their schooling before 1990 and girls and boys
living in less affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Girls in urban Kashmir
have up to 3.5 years less schooling compared to girls less affected by
the violence. Boys and girls more affected by violence are less likely
to complete their primary schooling, as well as enroll less in primary schooling, compared
to boys and girls less-affected by the insurgency. Secondary education
is not affected negatively by the insurgency. The results remain qualitatively robust
once accounting for migration, different age cohorts, a different identification of Kashmiri
and continuous measurements of violence. The first phase of the insurgency has a negative impact on
education, especially for girls in primary schools. Literacy and employment programs
should be designed to target these women.